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Deliver us from temptation

Your letters for Sept. 14Back to video

According to biblical scriptures, Jesus was in the wilderness with no food nor water for 40 days and 40 nights, and had to resist serious temptations from Satan. Believers honour that period by giving up some of life’s pleasures and indulgences for Lent, the 40 days and 40 nights proceeding Easter. Canada’s Governor-General dissolved Parliament and issued the federal election writ on Sept. 11, for the grand event that will take place on Oct. 21 — kicking off an official campaign of 40 days and 40 nights.

We, The Great Unwashed will be officially bombarded for 40 days and nights with pledges to tempt us into giving our vote for a party to lead us out of the so-called wilderness, and into prosperity in the Promised Land of a better Canada. More than one Satan will tempt voters — pesky little devils wearing different colours representing their parties, each one peddling bigger and more expensive promises. Hopefully, most of us are sensible enough to realize that promises will always be made in every campaign, but there is never a guarantee that any of those pledges will be kept.

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Television commentators will be like the Devil’s imps; flying hither, thither and yon to thrust microphones into faces of the candidates, and hoping someone says something controversial enough to make the headlines on the newscast later that day. Of course, any perceived verbal or policy slip-up or faux-pas along the way will be discussed ad nauseam on social media, on the Internet, on 24/7 television and radio news. Candidates will try to manipulate the electorate with declarations of hopes and fears, but voters have myriad opportunities to sift the wheat from the chaff, the fly-droppings from the pepper, and the truth from the lies, to decide which party they deem best equipped to lead Canada.

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Only one thing is absolutely certain in this polarized democracy of ours; that when the results are declared after 40 days and 40 nights of campaigning, 100 per cent of the Canadian electorate will declare that 50 per cent of Canadians have lost their minds.

Bernie Smith, Parksville, B.C.

Not seeing need for new pipeline

We don’t need more pipelines built. We have an existing one right alongside the other two that isn’t being used. We don’t need to invest in something that our grandchildren’s grandchildren will still be paying for when fossil fuels are on their way out the door.

We need to invest in renewables. Our climate is already degrading in remarkably fast time. Why would we want to invest in such a bad idea? Please don’t add to the degradation of our planet.

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Jodi Segura, Calgary

Alberta’s self-interest could mean a non-PC vote

Full-disclosure, I favour pipelines and will not vote Liberal in the election; its victory in my riding is a foregone conclusion anyway. That said, a federal election has been called and it appears likely that Alberta will deliver only Conservative MPs to the next Parliament.

But it is also quite possible that the Green party, NDP or even Bloc Quebecois will hold the balance of power in a minority government, either Liberal or Conservative. If so, it is most unlikely that pipelines will be neither planned or built from Alberta for a long time, if ever. The only hope for pipelines is a majority Conservative or Liberal government.

Albertans’ votes cannot do much more toward a Conservative majority. Their only hope of denying a balance of power situation is to deliver Liberal MPs from Alberta to a majority government. Ironically, Albertans current voting intentions may only exacerbate the situation that they currently find intolerable. It will be interesting to see if Alberta will recognize the problem and strategically vote in its own self-interest.

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